Her Smile
by beanza3
Summary: This is a one-shot based on last nights episode. Spoliers for said ep!    "All he wanted was to see her smile again... Forever."


**I own nothing. I loved last episode. :D**

**This is a one-shot based on the last episodes end. Basically, Max gave me back my mojo. I LOVE his character!**

Her Smile

Brennan walked into Founding Fathers, conch shell in hand, and her eyes instantly landed on Booth. He looked… not uncomfortable but, well… a little. Her thoughts were disjointed, so she decided not to further analyze her partner, but just let herself feel, "Booth, are you okay?"

He looked up, and into her eyes. Shifting a bit, arm still in sling, he shrugged one shoulder, "yeah, Bones, I'm fine. I was just thinking…" He paused, dark thoughts collecting over his countenance. He shook them away, "Just thinking. So, your father gave you a –shell?"

She laughed, holding the conch up for his examination. After letting him have it, she watched his face as he turned it over in his hand. "Yes, he bought it for me. Listen to it, it's the ocean." She paused, self-aware and he looked up a her.

"Yeah," he said after a pause, "the ocean." She shifted in her seat, but he smiled that charming smile of his –she wouldn't let herself think about how long it's been since she's seen it- and returned it.

"I…" twisting a strand of her shorn hair behind her ear, she continued. "I haven't listened to one of those in, it must be years. Ever since I was younger, we used to go to the ocean every year."

Memories soured her stomach, but he smiled at her, "You should go back –when you have time." The conch shell being safely returned into her possession, she felt less bare. Not armored, but not naked, completely exposed. Nodding, agreeing, she smiled, but she didn't want to go back to the sea alone.

"Maybe," her small voice surprised her, "someday… I don't think Cam would be that eager to let me go again. How many vacation days do you think a year counts for?"

"7 months, Bones. And I don't think it should count." He shifted his weight, still uncomfortable with the cast.

"You know you could never disappoint me, right?" Startled by her sudden outburst, and the melancholy tone that lined her voice, he looked up at her. She continued, "I mean, whatever you do… I don't think you could do anything that'd really disappoint me."

"C-could we talk about this later, Bones? I'm just… tired…"

She jumped up, "of course, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept you up this late. I'll walk you to your apartment. She helped him up from his seat, and he whined and for a while everything was alright between them… Normal.

"Bones," they were right near his apartment, almost at the door, and she smiled at him. "Thank you. I know it wasn't true but thank you for letting me know that."

"It's true, Booth –I'm not a liar- you couldn't disappoint me." Her honest blue eyes looked at him, but he shook his head.

"I know I already have…" He looked at her, unable to walk up to his apartment without his feelings being heard. Somehow, this reminded him of the scene, almost a full year ago, when he made his feelings for her known.

A slight, near imperceptible, shake of the head, then she'd changed topics, "I'm… happy, Booth. Are you?" After he said yes, she continued. "I'm _happy_ and you are… too good of a person, you'd never do anything selfish or deliberately unkind, without a moral reason. You can't disappoint me."

He enveloped her in a hug, pulling her close to him, even though crushing her body to his hurt his arm. Her lean frame pulled away from him, as she tried to call attention to his arm. He couldn't focus on his arm though, all the guilt he'd been feeling these past few weeks just seemed to vanish with her well-placed words. Who was this Bones, who seemed to know just what to say? Not scientific to the extreme, not armored and keeping him out, not achingly vulnerable, but just Bones, balanced and happy.

He knew now, he knew everything. But he also knew, that if he acted in a timely manner, he wouldn't have to lose her again. And maybe he'd even get her a real conch shell… at the beach, he'd bring her to the beach.

And as he pulled back from her, all he could see was her smile, the one he'd seen hundreds of times these last few minutes, but never in the last few weeks. He never wanted her to stop smiling again. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay, Bones? We'll get coffee."

And she smiled when she said yes.


End file.
